At a Glance

  • The majority of T1D donors give to support cure research.
  • 97% state cure funding should be the top priority of major diabetes-focused charities.
  • 91% of donors would give directly to a Practical Cure initiative if the option were easily available.
  • If major diabetes nonprofits take donor priorities into account and dedicate more revenue to T1D research grants, they will see a surge in donor support, loyalty, and contributions.

March 13, 2025

Results are in for JDCA’s 14th annual Values and Priorities survey. The survey was distributed to members of the T1D community, comprised of family, friends, caregivers, and T1D warriors, who have donated to or participated in a T1D fundraiser within the past year.1 The aim was to determine the values and priorities of those directly impacted by the disease when they give to diabetes-focused charities.
 
Their collective responses represent the voice of the T1D donor. This report shows the priorities of this collective voice, providing everyone in the T1D research and grantmaking ecosystem with insights about what matters most to the people we are all working for. Researchers can use this data to see how their work fits into what is most important to those personally affected by T1D; large nonprofits can use these findings to understand and align with T1D donor interests.
 
As in prior years, the survey revealed the T1D community’s top priority is a T1D cure, with 97% believing cure research should receive priority funding.


 Key Takeaways

1. Supporting a Cure Is the #1 Reason People Give

We asked T1D donors two important priority questions. First, we gave T1D donors a list of ten options and asked them to select the primary reason they chose to give. Second, we asked if they felt cure research should be the top funding priority for diabetes charities.

  • 85% stated the main reason they give is to support cure research (see chart A).
  • 97% said cure research should be the top priority for diabetes charities, reinforcing the historical trend that donors hold cure research above all else (see chart B).

2. Donors Want to Give to a Practical Cure 

We asked T1D donors to give their opinion about the importance of a Practical Cure (a.k.a. Functional Cure) for T1D. We first defined the term ‘Practical Cure’ and then asked them to rank it by importance, value, and likelihood of giving.

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  • 97% agreed that a Practical Cure would improve the quality of life for those living with T1D.
  • 91% of donors said they would donate directly to a Practical Cure initiative if the option was made easily available (see chart C).

3. Major Diabetes Charities Fall Short of Donor Expectations; Must Do More for a T1D Cure

Toward the end of the survey, we asked several questions about donor satisfaction with research funding at two of the largest diabetes-focused charities: Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
 
In one of the questions, respondents were exposed to a summary of publicly available 2023 financials from both institutions, relating to the amount of money spent on T1D research, and asked for their opinion. The data are:

  • Breakthrough T1D spent 44% of its revenue on T1D research.
  • ADA spent less than 4% of its revenue (12% of total research funding) on T1D-specific research.

The responses were plain: If these organizations increased T1D research funding, they would receive a significant amount of additional financial support. On the other hand, if research funding does not improve, or in the case of the ADA, further declines, future T1D community contributions and loyalty are at risk (see charts D, E, F, G).

 

Footnote

1. The “T1D Values and Priorities” survey was fielded in February 2025 to over 200 recipients, targeting donors in the T1D community across all demographics and based in the United States. The survey consisted of fourteen questions and holds a 95% confidence interval.